SOG Powerlock vs. Leatherman Wave/Charge

[SimpleIsGood229]

One day, I had the itch to buy a SOG Powerlock, due to my trusty, tried-and-true Leatherman Charge TTi failing me, in that I was unable to turn a certain nut wit it. I used bigger pliers and got the job done. However, I thought to myself if I had a SOG, I think I would have been able to turn that nut. So, the seed was planted.

Walking down the aisles at the local gunshow, I saw a SOG Powerlock EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) in one of the cases. I asked the to take it out of the case. So I start playing with it, and am impressed with it. I asked what he was charging for them, and, to my great pleasure, "$40.00." He was selling Leatherman Skeletools for $32.00, which made me kind of mad since I had just bought one at Gander Mtn. for $60.00! That's a whole 'nother thread, though.

I've been carrying that SOG since the day I bought it. It's bumped the Leatherman Charge TTi from my belt. I prefer it (just slightly) to the Charge for these reasons:

-It's bigger
-Compound leverage
-I can reconfigure the internal impliments however I please (assuming the pliers still close)
-The awl (wich the LM lacks)
-Adjust pivot tension
-More plier jaw surface area

Cons of the Powerlock:

-Sloppy implement lockup
-The handle covers are a bit annoying (but they're more comfortable)
-The screwdrivers, particularly the Phillips, are not as good as LM's
-Clumping (this can be somewhat fixed by re-arranging the washers between internal implements)
-Due to the compound leverage gears, the handles have to travel a greater distance in order to open the plier jaws any given amount. (This makes it awkward when opening the pliers widely.)

While I really love how the LM's internal impliments don't clump, along with the interchangeable driver bits and more comfortable handles, the SOG is just a bit better for me. I can grip or cut things with the SOG that I wouldn't be able to do with the LM. Since I'm always playing with it, I can keep the pivot tension right where I like it.

Overall, I like the SOG Powerlock just a bit more than the Leatherman Charge; just enough to carry the SOG in lieu of the Leatherman.

What are y'all's opinions? Do you have a preference either way? Have you used both?

[Daniel]

I prefer the Powerlock for the grip of the pliers as well as the superior wire cutting ability.

Yes, they are heavier. However, I like the size and they have not failed me. I have one in my truck, one in the house, and one in the tool box. I carry the one in the truck when I am out and about.

I also have two Charges. I traded away a Surge and sold the Wave. Still have a couple of Gerbers, a Victorinox Spirit and SwissTool. Also have a few Juices and a Micra as well as a couple of Radio Shack Juices which are handy wire strippers.

I still prefer the Powerlock tool even though I have tried the rest of them.

I also had the original SpyderWrench, but I just never warmed up to it, so I sold it, too.

[jzmtl]

The problem with being able to squeezing hard is you are testing the strength of plier head. When I squeeze my powerlock hard I can see the jaws flexing. It's a lot bulkier than wave too, and accessing tools other than plier is a pain in the butt. However clumping is supposedly fixed with their new piano lock.

I prefer wave, but due to its less than optimal rust resistance when wet, I carry powerlock when skiing.

If you want an awl you can easily make one to fit in the screwdriver bit adaptor.

[MANIXWORLD]

Weight is a VERY important factor for me,when edc'ng a MT.
I would love all the implements on a MT,like the Charge TTi which i have,but weight would keep me from carrying it on me,and rather in my kitbag. im currently liking edc'ng my Skeletool CX and LM Fuse,because of the locking implements,and weight being kept to a minimum.

[Simple Man]

I have been beating on Multi's for close to 12 years now and the Powerlock for the last 5-6 years and it is the only one I have not managed to break. I like them.

[vampyrewolf]

If you like the SOG style, check out powerplay. Same plier style but better choice in tools.

Looking lately at the PT-525 (http://www.datacomtools.com/powerplay.htm) from Powerplay... wire cutter & strippers [cat5, 12-24awg] and punchdown tips [66 and 110] and a phillips screwdriver take care of most of my use... currently use a Core and Radio Shack Squirt, and my network tools on top of that.

If I could find a tool with rj-45 crimper, cat5 stripper, wire cutters and 110 punchdown tool I'd be happy, and that PT-525 looks like it comes close.

[SimpleIsGood229]

If you want an awl you can easily make one to fit in the screwdriver bit adaptor.I've done that, but the awl would always get stuck in the socket.

[Water Bug]

I prefer Leatherman tools. If I was going to get a multitool other than a Leatherman it would've been a SOG since their needle nose plier heads are closest to Leatherman's in design; however...

I was going to get a SOG Powerlock just for the sake of having one, but it felt clumsy in my hand and the handle covers kept getting in the way. While playing with a display model, I inadvertantly got one of the plier halves caught in the opening of one of the handle cover and it took a bit to untangle that. I also found that the knife blade doesn't have an adequate stopping point when closed, thus the blade can be pressed down onto the bottom of the handle and put a flat spot on the edge.

If an awl is important to you (as it is to me), the Leatherman Core and Surge are equipped with one with a sewing hole in them. Their plier heads are also supposed to be more heavy duty than the older models they replaced.

Overall, I find the Leatherman design more simple, more comfortable, and more practical.

[vito72]

I use to care a victorinox swisstool its a great piece of steel but its heavy.

[SimpleIsGood229]

I was going to get a SOG Powerlock just for the sake of having one, but it felt clumsy in my hand and the handle covers kept getting in the way. While playing with a display model, I inadvertantly got one of the plier halves caught in the opening of one of the handle cover and it took a bit to untangle that. Yeah, they do get annoying, I have to admit. Maybe SOG will utilize a more Leatherman-esque solution, once Leatherman's rounded handle patent expires.


I also found that the knife blade doesn't have an adequate stopping point when closed, thus the blade can be pressed down onto the bottom of the handle and put a flat spot on the edge.Yes, this is rather annoying. It's the same deal for all of the internal implements. This is another area that Leatherman rolls over SOG. I also find SOG's locks (not the Piano Lock, with wich I have no experience) to be inferior to Leatherman's.


If an awl is important to you (as it is to me), the Leatherman Core and Surge are equipped with one with a sewing hole in them. Their plier heads are also supposed to be more heavy duty than the older models they replaced.For a while now, I've been wishing I would have picked the Surge over the Charge TTi, in the very first place. I was taken by the Titanium and S30V:o --neither of which really do me any good.


Overall, I find the Leatherman design more simple, more comfortable, and more practical.I agree with you, but I find SOG's compound leverage to be too useful to ignore. It's sort of irritating that I find the less well-designed tool slightly more useful. Kinda weird, if you think about it. :confused:

[Water Bug]

Yeah, they do get annoying, I have to admit. Maybe SOG will utilize a more Leatherman-esque solution, once Leatherman's rounded handle patent expires.
I would've stayed with Leatherman even if they hadn't rounded off their handles (the sharp edges on the earlier models were the only things I found annoying about them compared to other brands), but when they came out with the original Wave and then later the Pulse and Super Tool 200 with the rounded handles and incorporated unlocking devices, that was cool!


Yes, this is rather annoying. It's the same deal for all of the internal implements. This is another area that Leatherman rolls over SOG. I also find SOG's locks (not the Piano Lock, with wich I have no experience) to be inferior to Leatherman's.
Leatherman's newer locking system is very nice, although I'm still find the original locking concept used for the Pulse, Super Tool, and Super Tool 200 to be more secure (i.e., no accidentally unlocking a tool in use by inadvertantly pressing the unlocking mechanism with your thumb). If you want to unlock a tool on those older Leatherman models, you really have to think about it.


For a while now, I've been wishing I would have picked the Surge over the Charge TTi, in the very first place. I was taken by the Titanium and S30V:o --neither of which really do me any good.
Leatherman still makes the Surge. ;) Maybe including something special with the cookies you leave for Santa might be helpful. :)

Anyway, I hear ya... I almost bought the Charge TTi due to the titanium, the more comfortable feel it had over the upgraded Wave and Surge, and, yes, the high-end main blade steel; however, it was the larger size of the Surge along with the additional standard tools it had that the Charge didn't have that won me over. If I can't get an awl and a standard can opener in a multitool, I look elsewhere. :)


I agree with you, but I find SOG's compound leverage to be too useful to ignore. It's sort of irritating that I find the less well-designed tool slightly more useful. Kinda weird, if you think about it. :confused:
I will agree that the compound leverage was quite appealing when I was playing with the display model of the SOG Powerlock. I was really liking how that mechanism worked, could see the advantages it offered, and was almost sold until I got one of the plier jaws caught in the opening of a handle cover (and that totally caught me by surprise). At that point I had a disabled tool requiring some time to untangle it, and then came this thought... had it been a real world "emergency use situation" that tool would've been useless to me. That's when I handed the SOG (fixed by this point) back to the clerk, thanked her for letting me play with it, and decided I was better off with the Leatherman holstered to my belt.

Anyway, if Leatherman multitools weren't available, I'd probably go with a SOG multitool before looking at any of the other brands.